Bulgaria and Iran have very different political systems, so the word “leader” does not mean the same thing in both countries. As of 16 September 2026, Bulgaria is headed by President Iliana Iotova and Prime Minister Rumen Radev, while Iran is headed at the highest constitutional level by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, with President Masoud Pezeshkian leading the executive government.
For Bulgaria–Iran relations, the most relevant officials are the two countries’ presidents and foreign ministers, but their institutional roles differ substantially. Bulgaria’s president is head of state while the prime minister leads the government. In Iran, the Supreme Leader holds the country’s highest political authority, while the president heads the executive branch and the foreign minister conducts much of the country’s day-to-day diplomacy.
Bulgaria’s leadership in 2026
Iliana Iotova — President of Bulgaria
Iliana Iotova is Bulgaria’s president in 2026. She assumed the presidency in January 2026 after Rumen Radev resigned from the office. Bulgarian official reporting continues to identify Iotova as head of state, including her public activities in September 2026.
The Bulgarian presidency is the country’s head-of-state institution. The president has important constitutional responsibilities in foreign affairs, national security and defense, although executive government is led by the prime minister and Council of Ministers.
Iotova therefore matters to Bulgaria’s international relations, including relations with Iran, but she should not be described as equivalent to Iran’s Supreme Leader.
Rumen Radev — Prime Minister of Bulgaria
Rumen Radev is Bulgaria’s prime minister as of September 2026. The former president resigned from the presidency in January and subsequently became prime minister after Bulgaria’s parliamentary transition. The National Assembly elected him prime minister on 8 May 2026.
As prime minister, Radev heads the Council of Ministers and is responsible for the government’s executive agenda. This makes him particularly important for decisions involving Bulgaria’s foreign, defense and security policies.
His current role should not be confused with his previous position: Radev is no longer Bulgaria’s president.
Velislava Petrova-Chamova — Foreign Minister
Velislava Petrova-Chamova has been Bulgaria’s foreign minister since 8 May 2026. She formally took over the Foreign Ministry from Nadezhda Neynsky on that date.
For Bulgaria–Iran relations, Petrova is one of the most directly relevant officials.
She is responsible for Bulgaria’s diplomatic relations and represents Sofia in international discussions. Her ministry has also handled Bulgaria’s direct diplomatic communication with Tehran during the 2026 regional crisis.
This includes ministerial-level contact with Iranian officials during the dispute over U.S. military aircraft operating from Bulgarian facilities.
Dimitar Stoyanov — Defence Minister
Dimitar Stoyanov is Bulgaria’s defence minister in the 2026 government. Bulgarian government information identifies him as minister of defence, while reporting from the formation of the Radev government records his appointment on 8 May.
His role becomes particularly relevant to Bulgaria–Iran relations because the 2026 dispute has involved U.S. military aircraft and Bulgarian military infrastructure.
The defence minister is responsible for the civilian leadership of Bulgaria’s Ministry of Defence and therefore has a different institutional role from the president and prime minister.
Mihaela Dotsova — President of the National Assembly
Mihaela Dotsova is president of Bulgaria’s National Assembly, the country’s parliament. The current 52nd National Assembly lists Dotsova as its presiding officer, with her parliamentary profile recording the position from April 2026.
The parliament matters because Bulgaria’s government operates within a parliamentary system. Major legislation, international commitments requiring parliamentary approval and defense-related decisions can therefore involve the National Assembly.
Iran’s leadership in 2026
Iran’s political system requires more careful explanation because the president is not the country’s highest-ranking political authority.
Mojtaba Khamenei — Supreme Leader
Mojtaba Khamenei is Iran’s Supreme Leader in 2026. He succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, following the latter’s death in March 2026. Iranian official material refers to Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
The Supreme Leader occupies the highest position in Iran’s political system and has decisive authority in major areas including national security, defense and strategic foreign policy.
That makes Mojtaba Khamenei the most important Iranian figure to understand when assessing Tehran’s position toward Bulgaria, NATO, the United States or other major security questions.
The president and foreign minister operate within this broader political structure.
Masoud Pezeshkian — President of Iran
Masoud Pezeshkian remains Iran’s president in 2026. Iranian government sources continue to identify him as president, including official reports of his September 2026 participation in the BRICS summit in India.
Pezeshkian heads Iran’s executive government and is a major public representative of the Islamic Republic in international diplomacy.
His government handles economic policy, administration and much of Iran’s diplomatic engagement. However, the president’s authority must be understood alongside the Supreme Leader’s superior constitutional and political position.
Abbas Araghchi — Foreign Minister
Abbas Araghchi is Iran’s foreign minister in 2026. Iranian presidential reporting identifies him in that role in diplomatic activity throughout the year.
Araghchi is particularly important to Bulgaria–Iran relations because foreign ministers are the principal government officials responsible for direct diplomatic communication between the two countries.
In 2026, he has been involved in Iran’s diplomatic engagement surrounding the wider conflict and negotiations, as well as communication with European governments.
For the Bulgaria relationship specifically, his role matters because disputes involving Bulgaria’s cooperation with the United States have been addressed through diplomatic channels rather than solely through military or security institutions.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf — Speaker of Parliament
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf remains speaker of Iran’s parliament, the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis). Iranian presidential reporting in June 2026 identified Ghalibaf as parliament speaker alongside Pezeshkian and Araghchi.
The Majlis is an important institution in Iran’s political system, particularly for legislation, budgets and parliamentary oversight.
Ghalibaf is therefore a significant political figure, although his institutional role is different from that of the Supreme Leader, president and foreign minister.
The two leadership systems compared
| Position | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 🇮🇷 Iran |
|---|---|---|
| Head of state | President Iliana Iotova | Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei |
| Head of government / executive | Prime Minister Rumen Radev | President Masoud Pezeshkian |
| Foreign minister | Velislava Petrova-Chamova | Abbas Araghchi |
| Defence/security relevance | Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov | Supreme Leader has overarching authority over major defense and security matters |
| Parliament | National Assembly, President Mihaela Dotsova | Majlis, Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf |
| Political system | Parliamentary republic | Islamic Republic with Supreme Leader as highest authority |
Why the distinction matters for Bulgaria–Iran relations
The difference between the two systems becomes especially important when interpreting official statements.
In Bulgaria, the prime minister and government are central to executive decision-making, while the president has constitutionally defined powers as head of state. The foreign and defence ministers operate within the Council of Ministers under the government’s executive authority.
Iran operates differently. The Supreme Leader occupies the highest political position, while the president leads the executive branch within a system in which strategic security and foreign-policy authority is shared across several institutions but ultimately operates under the Supreme Leader’s constitutional position.
That distinction matters when a statement comes from Pezeshkian, Araghchi or another Iranian official: their positions should not automatically be treated as identical to a formal decision by the Supreme Leader.
Who matters most for the Bulgaria–Iran relationship?
For day-to-day bilateral diplomacy, Velislava Petrova-Chamova and Abbas Araghchi are the most directly relevant officials because they head the two foreign ministries.
For broader government policy, Rumen Radev and Masoud Pezeshkian are the principal executive figures.
For major strategic and security questions involving Iran, however, Mojtaba Khamenei’s position is institutionally different from that of the Iranian president.
On the Bulgarian side, decisions involving defense and military infrastructure also involve the government and defence establishment, making Radev and Stoyanov particularly relevant to security issues.
The result is that there is no simple one-to-one equivalent between the two countries’ leadership structures. **Bulgaria’s prime minister and president divide executive and head-of-state responsibilities within a parliamentary system; Iran’s president operates beneath a Supreme Leader who occupies the country’s highest political position. Understanding that distinction is essential when interpreting any future Bulgaria–Iran diplomatic or security development.**